Chicken Shawarma

My Chicken Shawarma is packed full of warming spices and Middle Eastern flavors! It’s not hot and spicy but we have added a small amount of cayenne pepper so you can adjust the amount up or down to suit your tastes.

This recipe for Chicken Shawarma is naturally low carb and keto friendly with the main flavors coming from a small amount of lemon juice, garlic, and a mixture of warming spices including cumin, coriander, a little ground cloves, and the wonderfully healthy turmeric which gives it such a fabulous color too.

Coming in at only 3g net carbs per serving this low carb chicken Shawarma is a perfect healthy addition to your low carb dinner menu rotation.

The best way to make Chicken Shawarma

So the first thing you need to do is ensure that the chicken is evenly coated in the marinade, and that you leave enough time for the marinade to infuse all its wonderful flavors into the chicken.

I’d say an hour minimum if you’re in a rush, but the longer the better for a more flavorful final result.

Then you need to decide how you are going to cook it.

In my opinion the very best way to cook Chicken Shawarma is over a grill, but I realize that’s not alway convenient so my second choice method, and actually the one I used to cook the chicken you see in these photographs, is with a cast iron grill pan.

I have a cast iron grill pan and I’ve used it for years, it will give you these lovely grill marks on the chicken and you don’t even need to go outside! my quick tip for using it is to scrape out any cooked chicken and marinade bits that collects in between the ‘grills’ on the skillet as they can start to burn after you’ve cooked a couple of batches of chicken.

Don’t have a grill pan or an outdoor grill? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered too! This recipe for Low Carb Chicken Shawarma is equally easy to cook in the oven. Simply line a sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up and then add the chicken thighs.

You’ll find all the cook times for each of these methods in my recipe card at the end of the post.

Where does Chicken Shawarma Come from?

Chicken Shawarma is a middle eastern meat dish based on a doner kebab that would originally have been made with lamb or mutton.

Traditionally the pre-seasoned meat is pushed onto a skewer and cooked over hot coals or on a spit.

Chicken Shawarma is one of the world’s most popular street foods and is particularly common in the Arabian Peninsula.

What’s best to serve with Chicken Shawarma?

Chicken Shawarma is most often served as a wrap inside some sort of flatbread. If you’re looking for a low carb bread to serve this with you can use my Low Carb Keto Coconut Flour Tortillas which are the same tortillas pictured in the recipe photos above.

It’s also delicious if you serve it alongside a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions for a fantastic flavor combination, you can either add them inside your chicken shawarma wrap with a little natural yoghurt, or serve them on the side with a little oil and vinegar dressing.

What does Chicken Shawarma Taste Like?

The combination of cumin, turmeric, paprika, garlic and lemon juice, plus a very small amount of cloves, give this chicken shawarma recipe a distinctive warming spice flavor that’s quite unique.

If you love grilled chicken in general but are looking for something not too spicy then you’ll love the taste of this recipe.

I prefer to use chicken thighs for my chicken shawarma as they have a higher fat content than chicken breast and fat=flavor.

Instructions

Add the chicken shawarma marinade ingredients to a large ziplock bag along with the chicken thighs.

Marinate chicken for 1 - 8 hours, or overnight.

How to Cook Chicken Shawarma on a Grill

Remove the chicken from the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking and allow to come to room temperature.

You'll need a hot gas or charcoal grill. Place the chicken thighs onto the hot grill grates and close the lid and let them cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn the chicken thighs and cook the other side for a further 3-4 minutes or until they are fully cooked

Using a thermometer check that the thickest part of each chicken thigh has an internal temperature of 165F

How to cook Chicken Shawarma on the Stove

I prefer to cook boneless Skinless chicken thighs in a well seasoned cast iron skillet, if you can get the cast iron grill pan that will give you lovely grill marks on your chicken.

Cook the chicken thighs for about 4-6 minutes per side, and until fully cooked at the thickest part of each chicken thigh.

Using a thermometer check that the thickest part of each chicken thigh has an internal temperature of 165F

How to Cook Chicken Shawarma in Oven

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up, don't use foil as the chicken will stick to it.

Preheat oven to 350F

Bake for about 25 - 35 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked at the thickest part of each chicken thigh.

Using a thermometer check that the thickest part of each chicken thigh has an internal temperature of 165F

Recipe Notes

3g net carbs per serving

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Shawarma Recipe - Middle Eastern, Low Carb, Keto, Paleo

Amount Per Serving

Calories 258Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Cholesterol 143mg48%

Sodium 914mg38%

Potassium 463mg13%

Total Carbohydrates 3g1%

Protein 29g58%

Vitamin A10.3%

Vitamin C7%

Calcium3.9%

Iron15.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information on Noshtastic is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.